Is Brainspotting Helpful for Trauma, Anxiety, & Depression?
What Is Brainspotting Therapy? A Powerful Approach for Healing Trauma and Anxiety
If you’ve been searching for a therapy that goes deeper than traditional talk therapy, Brainspotting therapy might be what you’re looking for. Developed in 2003 by Dr. David Grand, a respected EMDR therapist and trauma specialist, Brainspotting was discovered by accident during a session with an elite ice skater. While using EMDR, Dr. Grand noticed that when the athlete’s eyes focused on a specific point, her eyes began to tremble — and she suddenly accessed a deeply buried trauma. After processing this experience, she not only felt emotional relief but also saw dramatic improvements in her performance.
From that moment, Dr. Grand realized he had found something remarkable. By identifying where people naturally focus their gaze when recalling emotions, he uncovered a new way to access and heal trauma stored deep within the brain and body. This discovery became the foundation of Brainspotting therapy — a powerful, brain-based method now used by therapists worldwide.
How Brainspotting Works
Brainspotting uses your visual field to locate “brainspots” — eye positions connected to stored trauma, anxiety, or emotional distress. When you focus on a particular spot while feeling a sensation or emotion in your body, your brain begins to naturally process the experience. This gentle yet profound method helps release stuck emotions and calm the nervous system.
Brainspotting is a bottom-up therapy, meaning it works directly with the body and brain rather than relying solely on talking or cognitive processing. It’s based on three core principles:
Where you look affects how you feel.
Our eyes are deeply connected to how our brain organizes emotion. For example, when you think of something joyful and notice a pleasant sensation in your body, shifting your gaze slightly might make that feeling stronger. In Brainspotting therapy, we use this mind-body connection to access and process both pain and resilience.The brain knows how to heal.
Brainspotting therapists believe your brain and body already know how to move toward healing. The therapist’s role is not to “fix” you, but to guide you into a space of safety and attunement where that natural healing can unfold.Dual attunement — therapist and client connection.
Healing happens in the relationship between therapist and client. In Brainspotting, your therapist stays closely attuned to both you and your internal experience, allowing the process to unfold organically and at your own pace.
What a Brainspotting Session Looks Like
Each Brainspotting session is uniquely tailored to your needs. Therapists might use tools like a pointer to find your most activated or grounded eye position, or they may simply help you notice where your gaze naturally falls when discussing certain feelings. Different “frames” — such as activation spots (fast processing), grounded spots (slow, gentle processing), or neutral spots (for stability) — allow you to heal at your own pace.
Brainspotting can also integrate with somatic therapy, parts work, or EMDR therapy for even deeper results. Many clients describe Brainspotting sessions as calming, profound, and transformative — often accessing insights and healing that traditional talk therapy didn’t reach.
What Brainspotting Can Help With
Brainspotting therapy is highly effective for:
Trauma and PTSD
Anxiety and panic attacks
Depression and grief
Burnout and stress
OCD and intrusive thoughts
Performance anxiety (athletes, artists, professionals)
Emotional regulation and nervous system healing
Because Brainspotting allows for deep, non-verbal processing, it’s especially helpful for people who feel overwhelmed or stuck when talking about their trauma. It’s a gentle, non-invasive therapy that honors your body’s pace and wisdom.
Experience Brainspotting Therapy in Burbank, California
At Foothills Psychotherapy, our trained Brainspotting therapists help clients heal from trauma, anxiety, and stress using this powerful mind-body approach. Whether you’re a high-achieving professional struggling with burnout or someone ready to release long-held emotional pain, Brainspotting can help you feel calmer, more grounded, and more in control of your life.
Ready to experience how Brainspotting can support your healing? Reach out to one of our Brainspotting therapists at Foothills Psychotherapy today, or visitwww.brainspotting.com to learn more about this transformative therapy approach.
